2019

The University of California, Davis, last year launched a new pilot policy on faculty reference checks, a measure Philip Kass, the university’s vice provost of academic affairs, said is intended to “prevent and otherwise address issues of sexual misconduct on campus.

Separate from criminal background checks, which are governed by system policy and don’t turn up internal findings of misconduct, Davis personally contacts the former institution or institutions of finalists who do consent, and asks whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the California’s system’s Faculty Code of Conduct. In addition, Davis will share similar information about the university’s current or past employees with other institutions, provided the candidate has offered written consent. 
 

The Swedish Data Protection Authority has published its supervisory plan for 2019–2020 that will focus on three areas: prioritized legal areas, specific businesses and organizations, and new technological advances.

In addition, the Swedish DPA will look into processing of personal data, using consent as the legal basis for processing. Consent will focus on voluntariness, information, clarity and scope.

The Supervisory Plan will also focus on sectors where sensitive personal data or children’s personal data are processed, including the healthcare sector, schools or educational institutions, money transmission service providers, the retail sector and the debt collection service sector.
 

The latest Fraudscape report from Cifas shows that employment application fraud is still high. This follows the BDO’s FraudTrack 2018 report, which that stated employee fraud cost organisations almost £500 million in 2017. Employee fraud not only has a significant impact on an organisation's finances but can also damage reputation and staff morale.

According to Cifas, hiding unspent criminal convictions remained the most common form of fraudulent conduct when the employment application was successful. False references saw an increase of 150% in 2018 compared to 2017, the highest number in five years. That's why Verifile go directly to employers, universities, schools, and others when undertaking pre-employment checks, instead of relying on referees that the candidate supplies.
Degree fraud is also highlighted as a problem and includes:   

• the creation of fake degree certificates (counterfeit versions of degree certificates from real universities)
• the operation of diploma mills (which sell unrecognised degrees for a fee, usually based on “life experience”)
• exaggeration or outright lies on CVs

With the use of design software and colour printers, fraudsters now have access to the tools they need to create realistic versions of certificates. Even professionals in university registry offices can sometimes find it difficult to distinguish a fake certificate from a genuine one, so verifying degrees directly with the university is essential. Cifas advises that “Only when all employers check the authenticity of all their hires all the time will degree fraud be eradicated.”

For more information on how we can help you reduce your risk via a tailored pre-employment screening policy, please contact us.